David Douglas
Satellite remote sensing of landscape features that possess high-frequency dynamics, such as sea ice distribution and vegetation phenology, and spatial analyses of how wildlife migrations are influenced by habitat and weather dynamics.
My projects aim to pioneer new analytical avenues in applied wildlife research by combining remote sensing with traditional wildlife studies to answer questions about habitat use and animal movements at landscape scales. The studies I engage align with Department of Interior priorities in the Arctic by addressing a growing need to understand how changes in climate or land use practices affect wildlife migrations, habitat availability, habitat quality, and population dynamics. Climate is the overarching force that controls wildlife habitat resources in the Arctic, so understanding linkages between the physical and biological environment is critical for making informed management decisions in the face of accelerating warming and expanding human activities. My expertise includes tracking wildlife by satellite, monitoring sea ice and vegetation changes by satellite, and the implications of future climate change on Arctic wildlife in general.
Professional Experience
1986 - Present Research Wildlife Biologist USGS Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska
1985 - 1986 Biological Technician Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Fairbanks, Alaska
1980 - 1984 Biological Technician US Forest Service, Region 4, Ogden, Utah
Education and Certifications
M.S. 1986 Washington State University, Pullman, WA Wildlife Biology
B.A. 1982 Utah State University, Logan, UT Biology
Affiliations and Memberships*
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Science and Products
No evidence of trophic mismatch for caribou in Greenland
Greenhouse gas mitigation can reduce sea-ice loss and increase polar bear persistence
Movements of juvenile Gyrfalcons from western and interior Alaska following departure from their natal areas
Extreme endurance flights by landbirds crossing the Pacific Ocean: Ecological corridor rather than barrier?
Predicting 21st-century polar bear habitat distribution from global climate models
Satellite-marked waterfowl reveal migratory connection between H5N1 outbreak areas in China and Mongolia
Geographic variation in Bar-headed geese Anser indicus: connectivity of wintering and breeding grounds across a broad front
Migration of whooper swans and outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus in Eastern Asia
Rebuttal of "Polar bear population forecasts: a public-policy forecasting audit"
Seasonal movements and migration of Pallas's Gulls Larus ichthyaetus from Qinghai Lake, China
Fluctuating Arctic Sea ice thickness changes estimated by an in situ learned and empirically forced neural network model
Landward and eastward shift of Alaskan polar bear denning associated with recent sea ice changes
Science and Products
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Filter Total Items: 149
No evidence of trophic mismatch for caribou in Greenland
No abstract available.AuthorsDennis B. Griffith, Layne G. Adams, David C. Douglas, Christine Cuyler, Robert G. White, Anne Gunn, Donald E. Russell, Raymond D. CameronGreenhouse gas mitigation can reduce sea-ice loss and increase polar bear persistence
On the basis of projected losses of their essential sea-ice habitats, a United States Geological Survey research team concluded in 2007 that two-thirds of the worlds polar bears (Ursus maritimus) could disappear by mid-century if business-as-usual greenhouse gas emissions continue. That projection, however, did not consider the possible benefits of greenhouse gas mitigation. A key question is whetAuthorsSteven C. Amstrup, E.T. Deweaver, David C. Douglas, B.G. Marcot, George M. Durner, C.M. Bitz, D.A. BaileyMovements of juvenile Gyrfalcons from western and interior Alaska following departure from their natal areas
Juvenile raptors often travel thousands of kilometers from the time they leave their natal areas to the time they enter a breeding population. Documenting movements and identifying areas used by raptors before they enter a breeding population is important for understanding the factors that influence their survival. In North America, juvenile Gyrfalcons (Falco rusticolus) are routinely observed outAuthorsCarol L. McIntyre, David C. Douglas, Layne G. AdamsExtreme endurance flights by landbirds crossing the Pacific Ocean: Ecological corridor rather than barrier?
Mountain ranges, deserts, ice fields and oceans generally act as barriers to the movement of land-dependent animals, often profoundly shaping migration routes. We used satellite telemetry to track the southward flights of bar-tailed godwits (Limosa lapponica baueri), shorebirds whose breeding and non-breeding areas are separated by the vast central Pacific Ocean. Seven females with surgically implAuthorsRobert E. Gill, T. Lee Tibbitts, David C. Douglas, Colleen M. Handel, Daniel M. Mulcahy, Jon C. Gottschalck, Nils Warnock, Brian J. McCaffery, Phil F. Battley, Theunis PiersmaPredicting 21st-century polar bear habitat distribution from global climate models
Projections of polar bear (Ursus maritimus) sea ice habitat distribution in the polar basin during the 21st century were developed to understand the consequences of anticipated sea ice reductions on polar bear populations. We used location data from satellitecollared polar bears and environmental data (e.g., bathymetry, distance to coastlines, and sea ice) collected from 1985 to 1995 to build resoAuthorsGeorge M. Durner, David C. Douglas, R. M. Nielson, Steven C. Amstrup, T. L. McDonald, I. Stirling, Mette Mauritzen, E.W. Born, O. Wiig, E. Deweaver, Mark C. Serreze, Stanislav Belikov, M.M. Holland, J. Maslanik, Jon Aars, D.A. Bailey, A.E. DerocherSatellite-marked waterfowl reveal migratory connection between H5N1 outbreak areas in China and Mongolia
The role of wild birds in the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 has been greatly debated and remains an unresolved question. However, analyses to determine involvement of wild birds have been hindered by the lack of basic information on their movements in central Asia. Thus, we initiated a programme to document migrations of waterfowl in Asian flyways to inform hypotheses of H5N1 trAuthorsD.J. Prosser, John Y. Takekawa, S. H. Newman, B. Yan, David C. Douglas, Y. Hou, Z. Xing, Dongxiao Zhang, T. Li, Y. Li, D. Zhao, W.M. Perry, E.C. PalmGeographic variation in Bar-headed geese Anser indicus: connectivity of wintering and breeding grounds across a broad front
The connectivity and frequency of exchange between sub-populations of migratory birds is integral to understanding population dynamics over the entire species' range. True geese are highly philopatric and acquire lifetime mates during the winter, suggesting that the number of distinct sub-populations may be related to the number of distinct wintering areas. In the Bar-headed Goose Anser indicus, aAuthorsJohn Y. Takekawa, Shane R. Heath, David C. Douglas, William M. Perry, Sàlim Javed, Scott H. Newman, Rajendra N. Suwal, Asad R. Rahman, Binod C. Choudhury, Diann J. Prosser, Baoping Yan, Yuansheng Hou, Nyambayar Batbayar, Tseveenmayadag Natsagdorj, Charles M. Bishop, Patrick J. Butler, Peter B. Frappell, William K. Milsom, Graham R. Scott, Lucy A. Hawkes, Martin WikelskiMigration of whooper swans and outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus in Eastern Asia
Evaluating the potential involvement of wild avifauna in the emergence of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 (hereafter H5N1) requires detailed analyses of temporal and spatial relationships between wild bird movements and disease emergence. The death of wild swans (Cygnus spp.) has been the first indicator of the presence of H5N1 in various Asian and European countries; however their role inAuthorsScott H. Newman, Samuel A. Iverson, John Y. Takekawa, Martin Gilbert, Diann J. Prosser, Nyambyar Batbayar, Tseveenmyadag Natsagdorj, David C. DouglasRebuttal of "Polar bear population forecasts: a public-policy forecasting audit"
Observed declines in the Arctic sea ice have resulted in a variety of negative effects on polar bears (Ursus maritimus). Projections for additional future declines in sea ice resulted in a proposal to list polar bears as a threatened species under the United States Endangered Species Act. To provide information for the Department of the Interior's listing-decision process, the US Geological SurveyAuthorsSteven C. Amstrup, Hal Caswell, Eric DeWeaver, Ian Stirling, David C. Douglas, Bruce G. Marcot, Christine M. HunterSeasonal movements and migration of Pallas's Gulls Larus ichthyaetus from Qinghai Lake, China
We studied the seasonal movements and migration often Pallas's Gulls Larus ichthyaetus trom Qinghai Lake to assess migratory routes and stopover areas. Each individual was captured and equipped with an 18 g solar-powered Platform Transmitter Terminal (PIT) to track its movements from September 2007 to May 2008. Six individuals remained near Qinghai Lake until the PTTs stopped transmitting. ThreAuthorsS.B. Muzaffar, John Y. Takekawa, D.J. Prosser, David C. Douglas, B. Yan, Z. Xing, Y. Hou, E.C. Palm, S. H. NewmanFluctuating Arctic Sea ice thickness changes estimated by an in situ learned and empirically forced neural network model
Sea ice thickness (SIT) is a key parameter of scientific interest because understanding the natural spatiotemporal variability of ice thickness is critical for improving global climate models. In this paper, changes in Arctic SIT during 1982-2003 are examined using a neural network (NN) algorithm trained with in situ submarine ice draft and surface drilling data. For each month of the study periodAuthorsG. I. Belchansky, David C. Douglas, Nikita G. PlatonovLandward and eastward shift of Alaskan polar bear denning associated with recent sea ice changes
Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) in the northern Alaska region den in coastal areas and on offshore drifting ice. We evaluated changes in the distribution of polar bear maternal dens between 1985 and 2005, using satellite telemetry. We determined the distribution of maternal dens occupied by 89 satellite collared female polar bears between 137°W and 167°W longitude. The proportion of dens on pack iceAuthorsAnthony S. Fischbach, Steven C. Amstrup, David C. Douglas - Software
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*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government